V. Christa Collins ‘Starburst Beauty’ AM/AOS
Rhynchostylis gigantea ‘Crownfox Confetti’ FCC/AOS
We were honored to receive two flower-quality awards at the January meeting of the West Palm Beach Judging Center. Judges recognized Vanda Christa Collins ‘Starburst Beauty’ AM/AOS, and Rhynchostylis gigantea ‘Crownfox Confetti’ FCC/AOS. The First Class Cerftificate is the AOS’s highest award for flower quality, and we are thrilled to receive it, the 43rd FCC/AOS in our awards list. Thanks to Tom Kuligowski for the award images.
Don’t forget, we love to brag on the awards our orchids receive, so if any of the plants you purchase from us get recognized, send us the details and a photo we can post here (we always credit the photographer!) and we’ll brag on you, too!
Valentine’s Day is Friday, Feb. 14
Don’t forget your sweetie this Valentine’s Day! Deadline for orders for standard shipping is Sunday. Feb. 9, so please don’t procrastinate! We need time to get the order packed and sent to arrive in time for that special day! Please refer to the note about winter shipping, below. If the shipping address is in a part of the country where winter temperatures could be a problem, consider a gift card instead, there’s no restriction on mailing those during the winter! And better, the recipient can select what he or she likes best in our catalog.
Now Showing
Guarianthe skinneri ‘Heiti Jacobs’ FCC/AOS
It’s getting time for the Central American bifoliate cattleyas to bloom. These were recently reclassified as Guarianthe, but most of us still refer to them by their previous names, C. skinneri, C. aurantiaca, and the fabulous hybrid of the two, C. Guatemalensis. Absolutely gorgeous, and we have quite a few of them in the trees here. All of these orchids grow extremely well in the south Florida landscape because they are native to areas of Central America (Guatemala, particularly) with a very similar climate. We love them, and they are easy to grow.
Sadly the jade vine flowers we has last week are mostly finished now. But we’re watching carefully for more, as we’re just entering the main blooming season for this amazing plant. We think the cold weather (we had several nights in the 40sF) shortened their display, because this is an extremely tropical plant. But it typically blooms in late February and March, so we think there will be more flowers to come. Stay tuned!
You can see all of this, and lots (lots!) more on one of our free weekend garden tours. This is an escorted walking tour of Bob’s and Mike’s private garden, which we do, weather permitting, on Saturdays and Sundays at 11am and 3pm. No reservation is necessary, just please be here on time and meet your guide at the bridge. Wear comfy shoes, too. We can also arrange for private tours for groups at other times, with advance reservation and a nominal fee (private tours affect our staffing for the day), just contact us to set it up.
Creature Feature II
Red tailed hawk in the garden
Out here in “the country”, we have a fair bit of wildlife around the property, although most of these critters don’t hang near the public parts of the nursery. Once in a while we find a visitor, though, and this past week one of the local red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) paid a visit, spending some time in a tree over the pond. This is the most common hawk in North America, we have lots of them in Florida. Beautiful birds! And, right below the hawk, at the same moment, under one of the pond decks, a couple of our pond turtles and Wally, our alligator, were also hanging out, getting a little sun.
Visitors Welcome!
If we get one, we probably get a dozen calls a week asking what the entrance fee is to visit the nursery. Entrance fee? None at all! We’re open to the public 6 days a week (closed on Mondays and a few major holidays), visitors are always welcome during regular business hours, 9am to 5pm. On weekends, weather permitting, we escort a free walking tour of Bob and Mike’s private garden at 11am and 3pm (in Spanish on Sundays at 2pm). For a nominal fee, we can arrange private garden tours for groups at other times, please contact us for details.
Wally and a couple of the turtles sunning under one of the decks